Title of Session: Shared Economy Tales of Woe: Outbreaks and Legal Issues from Contra Costa and San Joaquin Counties

Length of Session: 50 minutes, Wednesday, May 10 from 1:00pm – 1:50pm

Educational Objective: By examining two recent foodborne outbreak case studies, this session will frame the important role food plays in our societal interactions and what role government should play a role in food safety.

Description of Session: This session will provide details about two recent scenarios involving unlicensed and unregulated food operations. The session explores the level of food regulation appropriate for these types of operations going forward. Contra Costa County experienced a deadly foodborne illness (fbi) outbreak during Thanksgiving of 2016. The session reviews the coordinated efforts of the public health division with the environmental health division in Contra Costa County to explore these three deaths related to a Thanksgiving feast sponsored by a local community church. The session also explores other church activities involving food and the direction provided by health officials. The second case study involves a legal case in San Joaquin County involving several businesses conducting unlicensed internet sales of potentially hazardous products via the internet. The role of media, including social media in discovering and addressing these businesses will be part of the discussion. A discussion on the current responsibilities of regulators in providing public health protections and potential future regulatory approaches will be covered.

Anticipated Educational Outcomes for Session:• Understand the response to a food borne illness outbreak for a temporary food event. • Understand the complexity of food events that occur at a church and what are the food safety concerns. • To learn about the current laws and regulations addressing home food sales. • To learn about pending legislation that may impact home food sales. • To learn about Public Health’s responsibilities as a functioning part of the food safety protection system.